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U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told lawmakers Monday that “well over” 1,000 Iranian nationals entered the United States illegally between 2021 and 2024, prompting new scrutiny of proposed budget cuts to the Department of Justice.
Speaking during a House Appropriations Committee hearing, Bondi said the DOJ is on “high alert” amid growing national security concerns, particularly following reports that some Iranian nationals may be acting as potential sleeper agents.
“Well over 1,000 have entered our country, and I can tell you we are on high alert and everyone is looking at that very closely,” Bondi said in response to a question from Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas.
Gonzales referenced Customs and Border Protection data showing 1,500 Iranian nationals had been apprehended at the border, with more than 700 reportedly released into the country. Bondi appeared to push back on the figure, saying she wasn’t certain if the number had reached that level.
Gonzales pressed Bondi on the DOJ’s proposed $2.5 billion budget reduction for fiscal year 2026, which would decrease overall funding from $36.1 billion to $33.6 billion and eliminate over 5,000 positions. He raised concerns that the reductions could hinder the DOJ’s ability to respond to growing global threats.
“When the DOJ submitted their budget, the United States was a nation at peace, and now we’re a nation at war,” Gonzales said. “Now things have changed.”
The updates on Iranian illegal immigrants come as President Donald Trump praised U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities as “hard and accurate” and said they caused “monumental” damage, following a weekend of escalating tensions in the Middle East.
“The damage to the Nuclear sites in Iran is said to be ‘monumental,’” Trump posted on Truth Social late Sunday. “The hits were hard and accurate. Great skill was shown by our military. Thank you!”
In a national address Saturday evening, Trump said the “massive precision strikes” were launched to destroy Iran’s most critical nuclear enrichment facilities, identifying them as Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz. “Key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” he told the nation.
The president has since announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, with hopes that the move will increase peace in the region.